What If - Cam Fired Brennan?
by navnit
Summary: Set post 2x03 slightly AU. Booth says He's With Bones All The Way. So what happens if Cam follows through with her threat and fires Brennan?
1. Chapter 1

_**Just as a note, I love Cam. I love her character and personality and her addition to the team. This is just a what if scenario, just as the title suggests.**_

* * *

Booth clicked on the latest notification from the Jeffersonian and read the email once, then twice. The third time he made it halfway through before he heard a cracking sound and felt the hard plastic of the mouse break under his grip. Releasing his death grip on the thing he pushed away from his desk and walked to the door. Pausing he stalked back and sat back down, opening a new blank document.

Typing as quickly and legibly as his patience allowed he finished the short letter and printed it. Signing his name at the bottom he rushed out of his office and barged into Cullens. Throwing the sealed envelope to his secretary he managed to utter;

"Give this to the boss, ASAP."

Without waiting for affirmation he about faced and stormed straight out of the Hoover. He didn't call her, knowing she wouldn't pick up. Pulling out of his parking space he turned on the siren and sped through late afternoon traffic, making his way straight to the Jeffersonian.

He sent a mass text as he walked in to the team sans Cam and Brennan to meet in the Ookie Room.

Ten minutes later the door was closed and he turned to address Angela, Hodgins and Zack.

"Booth? What's going on? Where's Bren?" asked Angela worried.

"Before I say anything, I need to know something. I think I already know your answers but I need to hear it before I can go on."

At their nods he continued.

"Why are you three here?" At their shocked looks he elaborated. "Angela you hate looking at dead skeletons and giving them flesh masks, Hodgins you own one of the biggest conglomerates in the world and yet you sift through soil and shit on a daily basis. Why? Zack you are just as good as Bones in identifying remains, have been for years and you have a higher IQ. You could have gotten your Doctorate ages ago and yet you're still Bones' intern. Why?"

Angela shared a look with the other two and hesitated to answer. "That's a loaded question, Booth."

"Answer it please."

Still they resisted.

"We will answer it if you will." The response came from Zack, surprisingly.

Booth huffed out a short unamused laugh and ran a hand through his already messy hair, loosening his tie a little. He might as well go for broke, huh?

"Well, the reason I come here in this lab and watch you work with rotting remains, seared flesh and animal feces is because... Well because Bones needs me here. I mean I know she was here before me but she wasn't bringing people justice back then you know? Making a difference in the way that really mattered to her? I know that this job, our partnership in particular means a lot to her, and I know she wants me to be her partner."

Another hand went through his hair and he whipped off his tie and slapped it down on the table.

"Also," he said in a quiet voice. "In a very short amount of time, Bones has kind of become the most important person in my life, second only to Parker."

Angela's smile could have blinded him, if the situation was less serious he was sure she would be bouncing of the walls.

"Good answer there, Studly." she smirked. "Well for me the answer is simple. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Bren and I wouldn't have stayed if it wasn't for Bren. No matter what Goodman might have said to me in his sexy African twang, it wouldn't have made a bit of a difference if Brennan didn't want me to stay. I don't work for the Jeffersonian, the Government, the FBI, or Cam. I work for Brennan."

Booth smiled still feeling a sense of lightness at his own admission, Angela's admission adding to that euphoria, managing to calm the furnace of anger in his chest.

He turned to Zack who shrugged.

"I have a borderline Psychopathic personality. You profilers would have me committed on principle. I failed every psyc evaluation I ever took. I didn't even get into the program. It was Dr Brennan, who looked at my work instead of my history and took me in. She is the only one who gave me a chance. She is the only one who makes me feel."

Angela and Booth met eyes over the bowed head of Zack Addy. Both had already subconsciously suspected this about Zack, but never would they have voiced it. To see Zack admit and actually acknowledge that he knew about it and still worked to be good for Brennan was kind of humbling.

Patting Zacks shoulder three times Booth smiled at the kid before turning to the wild card. He liked Jack Hodgins but he knew that Hodgins was not really that close to Brennan. They were more work colleagues than friends. He though, thought differently.

"You know that I was here way before any of you idiots showed up on this scene? Dr B has been my colleague longer than she has been your best friend," he pointed at Angela. "Your Mentor," Zack. "And your Partner." Booth.

"I have seen her compartmentalize her way through so many cases in Limbo. I've seen her wade fearlessly through raw sewage that even I wasn't willing to step in to collect particulates. I've seen her butt heads with big wigs in parties and formal gatherings and hold her own, making us proud while I sulked in the corner. I've seen her go up against idiot Agent after idiot Agent who wouldn't give her credit when she deserved it, until you came along."

The gathered watched with wide eyes at the impassioned speech from the normally reserved Entomologist.

"I may not be her best friend, her prodigal son and I may not be in love with her. But Dr B is the one single person who I have been proud to call my colleague. She has my respect and loyalty. Now why are you asking these questions Booth?"

Booth blinked himself out of the stupor and sighed pulling out the folded piece of paper and tossed it next to his tie. It was snatched up mere seconds later by Zack and the two others leaned over to read it.

"I received that an hour ago in my inbox."

The small missive was read in under a minute and the rage that triplicated on the squints faces added to his own ire. He tamped it down ruthlessly, the time for rage was coming soon.

"That Bitch!" screamed Angela rushing towards the door only to be stopped by Hodgins. "Let me go!" she yelled to the shorter Bug Man.

"Angie! Stop. Wait a minute! I know what you want to do and I want to do that as well, but you know that there is a reason that Booth is here, giving us this letter asking us questions?" he looked to the Agent in question. "Right?"

Angela turned her anger towards Booth. "I don't care! It's his sweetheart that's going after Bren. I'm going to tear that Bitch limb from limb for even thinking to fire Brennan!"

"As much as I would love to see you do that Angela, I have a better plan. One that would probably take care of Cam and all of her other authoritarian problems."

Angela calmed down a little as Booth didn't rise to her bait and said something that actually made sense to her.

"What are you saying?"

"You know the last person who threatened Bones? I put a gun in his mouth and made him piss his pants before making him promise not to even look at her again."

This was news to the team but they waited for more.

"Well, I can't do that to Cam without being sent to jail, but I can do something that she won't expect, even if it had been threatened before."

"What are you talking about Booth?" even Hodgins was confused by now.

Booth smiled and tossed another envelope on the table, this letter a copy of the one that he just handed to Cullen.

Reading that through quickly Angela and Hodgins eyes widened in realisation.

"I don't understand, Agent Booth. What does your..." Zack was interuped by Angela whispering to him urgently. "Oh okay. Are you sure that would work Agent Booth?"

"Pretty sure," he said nodding with a smile. "But even if it doesn't, I don't want to work this job without Bones, I know you guys don't as well. So what do you say?"

Three identical grins elated his anxious heart as he smiled a wider toothy grin and walked out moving towards the new pathologists office.

He knocked on the door making Cam look up and smile at him.

"Seeley! Come in."

He didn't bother asking him to not call him Seeley, she had lost the right to banter with him.

"Cam, I got an email from the Jeffersonian. It was a surprise considering what I had said earlier about me being with Bones."

"Well, I figured you were concerned about losing your partner in the field. Well I have extensive experience in fieldwork for the FBI I figured I could fill in as your partner as well as take care of the running of the lab."

Booths jaw twitched but he managed to keep his tone civil. "And what about the squints? I thought they threatened to quit if you fired Bones?"

Cam stood up and pursed her lips, hands on her hips. It was a decidedly unattractive gesture. "I dismissed that as the childish posturing that it was Booth. A formerly unemployed roadside artist? An intern on half pay? And Doctor Hodgins doesn't even care about Brennan enough to be bothered if I fire her. I cannot tolerate insubordinates and they cannot afford to lose their jobs. There will be an adjusting period and then everyone will move on without Dr Brennan. I've already sent word for a new Forensic Anthropolist to be interviewed, in the meanwhile Mr Addy's work will suffice."

Booth stayed leaning against the wall choosing his words carefully lest he scream it out at the woman.

"Cam? Do you know how Bones came to work at the Jeffersonian?" he asked mildly.

Her eyebrow rose. "No but I have a feeling you're about to tell me."

"When she graduated with the highest achievements of any in her field in the last fifty years she was bombarded with requests and grants and scholarships, guaranteed jobs and the highest pay anyone of us would want to live off of. The Jeffersonian institute was merely one of many that coveted her. She inturn went to Rwanda to identify victims of genocide, putting back together decapitated bones of children barely older than Parker, giving them faces and names.

"She traveled the world to war torn places and worked in mass graves surrounded by soldiers who would kill or do worse to her at one misstep. After dozens upon dozens of requests per month, from institutes and colleges she finally aceepted work from the Jeffersonian because she had reached her limit of trying to understand why evil people did what they did.

"Bones didn't apply for the position at the Jeffersonian, Cam. She was pleaded with on bended knees for over ten years before she finally just gave in because she was tired of seeing the worst of man-kind. The effort that the higher ups went through to get her and for you to fire her three weeks into your new job? I don't think the big wigs will be too happy with you."

Cam was a lot of things but stupid wasn't one of them. The dawning horror on her face was more than enough to show to Booth that his point had been sent across succinctly.

"You might want to check your emails. I hope you enjoyed all your high tech equipment, Cam." With that parting dig he sauntered out of the lab while ringing Goodman.

"Hey," he said when the Archaeologist answered. "You messed up big time..."

* * *

Camile Saroyan was panicking. She had been vindictive sure but she had no idea of what Booth was saying was true. Booth had been pretty different as he talked to her. He hadn't been angry or explosive or expletive as she had come to expect from her former lover. He was calm and cool almost calculating. For the first time since she had known him she had felt his snipers gaze on her and she had known that she was the target and with his parting words he might have actually killed her.

Turning on her computer she clicked through to her emails and scanned the inbox. Blinking at the six different letters she frowned at the three that were sent mere minutes ago by her team. Clicking on Angela's letter she frowned as she read the measured letter that the artist had sent tendering her resignation effective immediately.

Two more of the same and suddenly the Medico-Legal team was down all members except for a pathologist. There was a missive from Booth as well sent half an hour ago. Reading that paled her complexion. He was resigning! Was Brennan really that important to him to quit his job over? A jobs that she knew he valued immensely.

The last two made her tremble. The board of governors of the Jeffersonian Institute had sent a summons for her to attent a meeting in four hours time. The last was from Deputy Director of the FBI Sam Cullen who was asking her what the hell had happened that caused his best Major Crimes Agent and decorated veteran Seeley Booth to quit his job without notice?

Sighing she glanced at her recently unpacked boxes for her move to her new office and thanked God for small favors as she emptied her drawers and prepared to face the music.

* * *

Booth rode casually up the elevator to Brennans apartment and knocked on her door. Not hearing her move inside he knocked again a little harder and finally spoke up.

"Bones I know you're in there. Stop sulking and open this damn door!"

Still no answer. Sighing he decided to pull out the big guns.

"Bones since I'm no longer employed by the FBI I can not justify breaking down this door. Can you please let me in?"

There was sound of breaking china and Booth winced, Brennan didn't own cheap china. The door slammed open as a red eyed Temperance Brennan glared at him in half disbelief.

"You were fired?!" she asked her face aghast. His heart broke for his Bones, she had obviously been crying.

Booth shook his head. "Nope," he said cheerfully. "I quit."

He saw her try to process this new information and then reject it out of hand.

"You're lying!" She declared hurt tinging her voice.

"I swear on Parker's life Bones, I'm telling the truth," he cut in serious. "I told you before; I don't lie to you."

Tears slipped down her rosy cheeks, this time obviously in empathy for him. How could someone ever call this woman cold? She had the biggest heart of anyone he had ever seen.

"What about your list?"

Booth shrugged. "I'll come back to it some day. But only when I get my partner back."

Brennans mouth fell open in shock. "You quit your job for me!" she asked anger rising in red swells on her cheeks. "What were you thinking you moron!"

Booth didn't rise to it, he was done being untrue to himself. "I was thinking that my job isn't worth losing my partner over."

She sputtered wordlessly. At one time he would have rejoiced at having rendered the indomitable Dr Temperance Brennan speechless, this time though he wanted nothing to distract him from what he was here to say.

"Listen Bones I've got a lot to say and you've got a lot to hear but let's talk inside okay. I don't want to argue in the hall. Please."

After a moment she nodded and moved aside to let him in. The half packed suitcases didn't surprise him so he chose not to comment on it even as he watched her expectant gaze travel from her luggage to his face and away.

He took her hand and gently guided the suddenly quiet Anthropologist onto her sofa and sat beside her keeping a friendly distance between them. This, tonight and every other night was about what she wanted, not what he wanted.

Reaching into his jacket pocket he pulled out a few rolls of paper. "Here," he said handing her the roll.

She automatically opened it up and scanned the documents.

"What is this?" she asked confused.

"My resume," he answered back calmly.

"Why are you giving me this?"

"Well it's to show you my experience as a trained Army Sniper and war veteran. My tenure in the FBI, my psych eval and my job history, references and qualifications."

Brennan pursed her lips and he fought not to smile. "I know what a resume is Booth and I know all of your qualifications. I've worked with you for over a year remember. What I meant was why are you handing me this resume. Your resume?"

"Well it's for my interview."

"Interview?"

Booth smiled. "I'm out of a job Temperance and I'm asking you to give me one; as your Head of Security." He figured that would be less insulting than bodyguard.

"Wha...?" Once again he had rendered the great Temperance Brennan speechless.

"I think you would agree that I qualify very well for the position?" he asked rhetorically.

She still nodded slightly so he continued.

"I think that the need for that position is also apparent given your history on attending dig sites in dangerous territories?"

Another nod, hesitant this time.

"This also satisfies my need to keep you safe and your need to keep working with me."

Brennan closed her eyes two tracks of tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Please don't joke about this, Booth."

Gental hands reached up cupping her cheeks and wiping the twin tear tracks away. Her eyes opened, her azure gaze penetrating his very soul.

"I'm not joking Temperance," he whispered pulling back his hands but not before placing a soft kiss on her forehead. "I am no longer employed by the FBI and you are running off to a dig where I can't follow you unless I am, as I said your personal security."

An involuntary sob escaped her chest and he pulled her in to his chest as the dam broke. She sobbed her grief filled heart out as he gently stroked her hair, his tears mixing with hers as they lamented the decisions of a vindictive woman who didn't understand how many people she was hurting.

When her shaking subsided he pulled her back and kissed her forehead again and smiled at her handing her a tissue from her table to blot at her blotchy face. He nearly grinned as she scrunched up her nose at her emotional state.

"I know she hurt you, Bones." Blue gray eyes pinned soft brown as she assessed him. "I know she took your family from you. But I have a plan."

She frowned at him. "To become my Head of Security?" she asked trying to put together this puzzle but feeling as if she was missing some very important pieces.

Booth smiled at her confusion and nodded. "That is a contingency plan, that is our fallback."

"Fallback?"

Booth nodded this time allowing a grin to form. "Bones be honest, you can afford to pay me comfortably well to be your head of security, right or wrong?"

"That would be correct," she replied still trying to form the puzzle.

"Well if what I'm trying doesn't work then you can go whereever you want to go. Just know that I will not be left behind and I will go with you every step of the way. You can fight me, you can hate me. You can even hit me. But you'll have to kill me to get rid of me."

Her incredulous look made him grin even wider.

"What plan?" she finally asked. And so he told her.

How as soon as he had gotten news of her firing he had handed in his resignation and convinced without much effort for the squints to do so as well. He explained how much more valuable she was to the Jeffersonian than one pathetically petty pathologist. How the Jeffersonian wouldn't give her up without a fight.

Now adding that to the fact that she was a very successful author and that their job was so often in the limelight so the dismissing of such a powerful figure from her lifelong job would be talked about in the media soon. He explained patiently that Cam, by firing her, had essentially committed career suicide. And good riddance for that.

Step by step, logically and rationally, speaking the language that Brennan understood Booth explained to the distraught love of his life that she had nothing to be scared of and nothing to feel sorry for. The Jeffersonian would be knocking back on her door before long.

Just as he said that her phone rang.

"Brennan?" she said not a trace of her previous tears getting through the line. "Yes... Yes... Okay... Thank you... Oh and what would happen to Dr Saroyan...? Yes... Please wait on that decision... I would like to talk to her before you do that... Thank you... I know...It is appreciated... Goodbye."

Booth followed the exchange and registered the look of wonder on her face and grinned back.

"That... that was the Jeffersonian. I... I have been reinstated as have been my staff. Dr... Dr Saroyan is pending termination."

"There you go, Bones. See you had nothing to worry about."

Her eyes widened then. "But what about you! I don't want to partner with anyone but you Booth."

"Hey! Hey! Calm down Bones. I've been screening calls from Cullens office all afternoon. I'll talk to him and get reinstated before you know it. I would even bet he didn't go through with filing my resignation until he could talk to him."

"Then talk to him!" she urged pushing his phone into his hand.

"Soon," he promised taking the phone and placing it on the table. Taking a deep breath he prepared himself. He had promised no matter what, that today he would tell her. He wondered what she would say. He was expecting rejection but he was determined not to let it beat him. He would try again if this failed. He would not give up on her.

So reaching out he took her hands in his and examined her carefully clipped beautiful fingers.

"Temperance," he said using her first name to signify the gravity of this discussion. "Today was a roller-coaster ride for me. I know it must have been for you as well but it kind of hit me hard when I got the news about the termination of our partnership from the Jeffersonian instead of my partner."

Brennan bit her lip and looked away but Booth stumbled on, now that he had started he couldn't stop.

"I know why you did it, just as I know why you were packing. As much as it hurts to know that you don't trust me to support you I still understand why you do what you do. It's one of the many things that I love about you. And I know that word scares you, but I've decided to stop lying to myself. I know that I'm setting myself up for a fall but I...

He stared into scared blue gray eyes and faltered. If he told her this she would run and he would never see her again. Better to keep it bottled up and try and ignore his feeling just to save his partnership with her. But then what? Watch her be with people who didn't deserve her? Didn't understand her? Can't bring themselves to love all of her as he did? No.

No.

"You are frustrating, challenging, infuriating and so so so fucking beautiful Temperance Brennan. You are so much more than you believe and so much more than I deserve but I do love you and I will always love you. I chose to ignore it for a while but it always comes back to you. And the chances of you returning my feelings are very slim. But love does not have expectations.

"I just want you to know this, so that the next time you feel like running, know that there is someone who is willing to run with you."

They sat there tears in their eyes for over an hour. No interruptions, no declarations after his heartfelt ones but she had not run and he had not hid. This gave him hope for the future. Soon he needed to move, so excusing himself he went to the bathroom to relieve his bladder just as his phone rang for the umpteenth time.

Finally accepting the call from Cullen he walked out of the room as Brennan sat staring after him.

His declaration should have surprised her but Brennan was observant and she was not a fool. She had been hoping to avoid it because she saw Booth avoid it as well. She was happy to live in ignorant bliss, accepting his affections without reserve and with no obligation to return them. But could she do that now? After he had told her? He expected her to run. He expected her to reject him. His expectations were based on proof. On solid evidence. On her previous reactions and behavioural patterns. He had made this gamble, the biggest gamble of his life, fully expecting to lose. And then what? They were supposed to get back on with their lives?

Since when did Booth decide things based on empirical evidence anyways? Where was his gut in this decision. Wasn't he supposed to be the heart and she the brain? He quit his job for her. He wanted to go where she went. He gave up his list for her. How much more evidence did she need?

She knew what he was going to do when he came back out and it was now up to her to decide where this would go. Was she prepared to risk herself like that? Be so vulnerable, so naked that he could see right through her. She blinked. How was that so different to what they were now? He already could see right through her, she had been as vulnerable as she could be in front of him without even trying. She had already risked everything for him just as he had risked everything for her. What more could they lose to each other that wasn't already lost?

A smile lit up Temperance Brennan's face the object of her thoughts walked out into the living area of her apartment. He incidentally stood in front of her in such a way that her refrigerator door peeked out from behind him. Seeing her fridge with him in front of it brought back memories that she would rather not have. It must have registered on her face as he shifted and moved towards the door.

"That was Cullen," he said as he fetched his coat. "He called to tell me that if I wanted to resign then I had to tell him straight to his face." He smiled gently even as her eyes tracked his movements he waited for a moment and when she didn't say anything he turned. "So ill go and straighten everything out with him tomorrow morning and our partnership will be reinstated, just like old times," he finished cheerfully as he walked to the door. "See you tomorrow Bones."

"No," she whispered as he reached for the door handle.

He paused and tuned. "What was that, Bones?"he asked hand still on the knob.

"I said, No." Her voice got stronger as she stood up.

"No?" he asked softly, finally registering her words clearly misinterpreting her meaning. "O-Okay Bones." he had anticipated rejection, even expected it, but the experiencing it was another thing entirely. Taking a deep breath and viscously cutting of the start of tears, he turned the door knob and throwing a forced casual. "See you tomorrow, Bones," behind him he attempted to leave and lick his wounds. Apparently it was not to be.

"No, Booth! You're not listening to me!" she was positively angry and he was really scared now. If she was angry enough to end their partnership then what would he do?

"B-Bones?" he asked hating the stutter of his voice as she closed in on him.

"You are making assumptions!" she whisper yelled. "You decided how I would react to your proposal without even waiting for my answer. You promised you wouldn't expect anything and then you can't even look me in the eye."

His shoulders slumped as she leveled up to him and glared at him. God she was beautiful. "I guess," he started. "I guess reality is a little bit different than perception."

"Ask me," she said taking his hand and shutting the front door closed.

"What?" he whispered.

"Ask me the one question that you're afraid to know the answer to."

Seeley Booth had faced down killers, fought in a war and lost many men in combat situations, he had killed and almost been killed but never he had been more afraid to ask this woman this question.

"Booth?" she said softly taking both his hands in hers and looking straight at him fearlessly. "Ask. Me."

"Do... Do you think you could ever grow to love me as much as I love you." There it was the question that would decide everything.

And amazingly enough she smiled. "I don't know how much you love me, since I can not quantify an abstract emotion into empirical values but I can tell you right now that you are the most important person in my life. I wake up thinking about you and I go to sleep dreaming about you. You are in my fantasies day and night. When you're not around I miss you. When you're around I crave your touch. I don't know if that would quantify as love, you are much more experienced in that emotion than me, but don't think I don't feel anything for you. You couldn't be further from the truth."

Booth was left speechless. Where did that come from? But as he looked into her eyes he read pure sincerity shining from those azure depths.

"God you're amazing."

Her deep chuckle filled the air and did things to him that shouldn't be mentioned in public.

"I am pretty good, aren't I?" she asked impishly. And he laughed as he pulled her in for a long hug before pulling back and in an unspoken agreement leaned down to meet her lips with his. A sweet soft kiss that spoke of promises of the future.

As they pulled apart he gave her one more parting kiss and swept out of her apartment feeling more content than ever before.

* * *

The next morning found Booth getting chewed out by Cullen but eventually being reinstated in the FBI. Since he hadn't actually done any paper work to fire him the reinstatement was relatively painless.

Brennans morning was a little bit different. She had all the board members begging and pleading for her to accept the job back plus a pay rise and any other extras she wished to ask for.

Brennan took the job, refused the pay rise and extras and made a request.

* * *

She entered the conference room and took a seat across from Dr Camile Saroyan.

"Dr Saroyan," she said softly. "I find it difficult to talk to you. You see to you the Jeffersonian Medico-Legal Lab maybe just a workplace but to me that place is my home...

"I find it difficult to talk about these things, normally Booth mediates, but I shall endeavour to get my point across. The people at the Lab are my family. You took from me my home and my family and for that reason we can never be friends. I may forgive in time, but I will never forget."

Cam was quiet and withdrawn, she fully expected Brennan to rub it in her face that she barely was a day out of work and essentially had to do nothing to make Cam go away but Brennan wasn't doing that.

"However our Lab does need a pathologist and an Administrator, both of which are jobs that you are good at. Make no mistake, I do not want you at the Lab but I also know that with your actions you have essentially handicapped yourself to being hired at any facility that would adequately utilise your skills.

"It is to this reason that I have requested that you remain employed by the Jeffersonian, you possess indispensable skill that we can utilise in our efforts to fight crime. However," Cam winced, here it comes. "Do not ever presume to command me or my team again. That particular ability has been stripped of you. You need not defer to me in anyway but you cannot order me around, I am not your subordinate. Neither is my team."

Brennan stood and dusted of some imaginary lint off her pants and strode out to find Booth. It was time for lunch.

Camile Saroyan sighed as she looked a the employee badge that Brennan had handed back to her and tried to stem the flow of her tears but at the end it was a futile effort.

She had made a big mistake. How was she going to work with a team that hated her guts? But she knew that she didn't have a choice. This was a hell of her own making. It was time to go live it.

* * *

_**Reviews helps tonnes. I'm thinking of tying up loose ends with another chapter. Let me know if you prefer that or not. See ya!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_The response to this little plot bunny was great. Here's the rest of this, hope it's what you expected._**

* * *

Three months had passed since Brennan's firing and then subsequent re-hiring. During this time a few changes had occurred in the Jeffersonian Medico-Legal Lab. Were these changes good or not? Well, that was a matter of perspective.

The one thing that was unanimously voted as a good thing was the developing relationship between Booth and Brennan. In a lot of ways nothing much changed. They still went to crime scenes together, had meals together, theorised together and rode to work together. They still bickered and argued, pissing each other off one second then reconciling the next.

The difference was that at the end of the day, they either traveled together to his or hers and stayed the night. They were more rested and content with life then ever before and both smiled a lot more genuinely than they ever did before.

It wasn't long before both were seriously debating about sharing homes. They both agreed that for short term, living at Brennan's was the most convenient solution although Booth insisted that he was getting his TV moved over to hers a soon as decisions were made.

It was surprising to the rest of the team that Brennan was so easy going about a lot these sudden changes in her life. The idea of sharing her own space permanently with a man should have sent her running for the hills, but contrary to doing that, she seemed to take all of this in stride.

Angela had cornered her one girls night and asked her to spill, believing that Brennan was hiding her tortured soul behind the facade of ambivalence. What she discovered was that she _was_ hiding behind ambivalence but she wasn't hiding a tortured soul. No. Apparently the woman was jumping for joy inside and only managed to present a professional front in order to not come under scrutiny.

She was ecstatic at the way things were moving with Booth.

"And you know what the best things about it is, Ange?" she asked her best friend as they lounged in pajamas on her bed. At her questioning look she answered. "It's not perfect!" She declared, smiling.

Angela frowned at her. "What?" she asked incredulously. "Isn't the point of finding the love of your life, is to get the perfect relationship?"

Brennan was still smiling. "Ange, nothing is ever perfect! We are all doing the best we can right? Well so are Booth and I."

Angela didn't really know what her best friend meant but didn't really question it in light of the completely contented expression on her face. Brennan for once in her life was experiencing a sense of peace and she didn't want to question it.

The things that _weren't_ good was the dynamic between the team. While the original gang of Brennan, Booth, Angela, Hodgins and Zack were still intact, there was no denying that there was a new member in their squad and unfortunately no one wanted to even speak to that member.

Considering that she was also their Administrator and handled a lot of the behind the scenes of the goings on in the lab there needed to be a certain sense of rapport, if not friendliness, regarding their interactions.

Throw in the fact that she was also their resident pathologist and their complicated interaction increased ten fold.

No one, except for Brennan herself, actually directly spoke to Cam for the first three weeks following the _incident_ as Booth had started calling the event that pertained to the firing of his girlfriend. Brennan on the other hand spoke freely to Cam in a detached and professional way that spoke of complete apathy in regards to her opinions or advice. She spoke just enough to convey the necessary information to the other woman that helped move things along with regards to the case at hand.

The rest of the squints didn't even grant her _that_ courtesy. This couldn't continue for too long, in fact Cam herself was at her wits end; having typed, and even printed, various copies of her resignation letter before either deleting or binning the piece of document when she managed to remember that were she to quit her job, she would essentially be homeless out on the street with no job since no one in the scientific community would hire her.

The word had already gotten around about her failed attempt at a hostile takeover of the Medico-Legal Lab and she had received a few warnings from the higher ups that reminded her that she was only being employed here by the grace of Dr Brennan and that she was replaceable at any given moment, which was _not_ the case with Dr Brennan.

Needless to say she was not 'feeling the love' at her workplace. Her hours put in at the lab grew shorter and the hours ramping up her bar tab grew longer.

A hungover Camile Saroyan was the norm for most of the next few months. If circumstances were different then she would have gone to the one person she actually knew in this city for advice. Considering they _he_ was the one, rightly so or not, who basically orchestrated most of these events that were causing her grief? Well she really had no one to turn to.

The first time one of the squints actually spoke to her, didn't really come as a friendly chat, instead it was a snide remark. While she was clinically informing Angela of her findings about a set of remains and the fact that the victim had been stabbed in the back the artist had volleyed back that she 'must know all about _that_ right?' It had taken all the wind out of her sails and she had abruptly set her findings down on the artists table and fled back to the relative safety of her office. It just so happened that Dr Brennan had been present for her briefing and had frowned at her hasty retreat.

After consulting with her friend about why Dr Saroyan had left Brennan had considered her actions. The reality was that she simply didn't have time to read Dr Saroyan's report, her oral delivery would be much more preferred and when the case was over she would have gone over her report and reaffirmed her findings.

Marching down to the pathologists lair she knocked on the door to find a distinctly red eyed Cam typing furiously on her computer. Pausing at the knock Cam looked up resigned at the Anthropologist expecting a verbal assault similar to her best friend which never came.

"Dr Saroyan. I require the details of your findings please. I do not have time to read through your report and Agent Booth is awaiting our conclusions so he can continue his sleuthing."

"I..." Cam faltered a little at the other womans frank words before she steeled herself and delivered her report succinctly.

Nodding her thanks Brennan went to leave but stopped at the door.

"I will speak to Angela and the rest of the team. While their anger is justified, it is getting in the way of our work, which is unacceptable. I will ask for a professional rapport while in the Lab. I however cannot control their actions outside of the facility."

Before she could even get out a thanks Brennan walked out of the office. Sighing to herself she once again pressed the delete button on her keyboard and slumped down into her chair cursing her stupid self for the umpteenth time.

* * *

It all came to a head a month later when Brennan and Hodgins got kidnapped. Watching on in horrified silence as Booth received the message from the Gravedigger she only just managed to stop Booth from putting his hand through the display screen that delivered the news. Her wrist still aching from stopping a man as strong as Booth from self harm she stood up and took charge.

"Look, I get that you all hate me and I fully accept that that is all my fault. But we need to work together to find Dr Brennan and Dr Hodgins." She turned her resolute gaze to Booth and Angela respectively as she mentioned their partners/on and off lovers. "If you can put aside your dislike for just this case and work with me we can hopefully find them before it's too late."

That did it. Booths gaze turned icy but thankfully not directed at her and he nodded tightly turning away make a call. Angela almost smiled at her and went running to start scans on the Angelator and Zack started muttering about the Gavediggers normal patterns and how this didn't fit with his MO. Just the fact that he was even considering speculation gave Cam hope that they might make it out of this unscathed.

There were a few more blow ups as tempers flared and she had to intervene before Booth nearly took Zack's head off. No one really knew how to deal with a Brennan-less Booth but luckily Cam was able to take Booth aside and give him a stern talking to. She reminded him that Hodgins and Dr Brennan, especially Dr Brennan, was counting on him to keep his cool and be ready to go when the squints figured out where they were buried.

Slowly but surely Cam's words registered into Booths anger fueled thoughts and he managed to gain a foot hold on his emotions. When Zack figured out Hodgins' message Booth nearly squeezed the life out of the surprised intern and shot out of the Lab at top speed to go rescue his partner.

When Brennan returned to the Lab following the Gravedigger incident there was a definite change in the atmosphere in regards to the rest of the squints behaviour towards Cam. As per Brennans wishes they were still professionally cordial with the pathologist, however there was a distinct lack of frostiness that had previously permeated the atmosphere during their interactions.

Even Brennan sensed the change in pace and confronted Angela about it. When the artist told her best friend how Cam had taken charge and got the squints focused despite their strained relationship Brennan couldn't help but feel thankful for the pathologist's ability to keep a cool head and help her family in a time of crisis where she wasn't present to help them herself.

Angela then apologised for no longer completely hating the newest member of the lab, describing in detail how Cam had managed to get a handle on Booths emotions before he had done some serious damage in his anger.

Learning that Cam managed to calm her boyfriend might have been a source of jealousy to most women, but Dr Temperance Brennan was not _most women_. Making a mental note to thank Cam herself she hastened to reassure Angela that she wasn't angry at the woman for no longer hating Cam. She freely admitted that she had long since forgiven the pathologist for her transgressions against herself. Only the squints and Booths anger had made her feel obligated to ostracise her.

Finally both women agreed to lay off the other woman in the lab and while they wouldn't ask her to be BFFs any time soon, they could definitely treat Cam more like a colleague than as someone who they didn't want around them.

Angela talked to Hodgins who reluctantly agreed to temper his behaviour towards their colleague as deference to Dr Brennan's wishes.

All in all the Lab regained it's cheerful atmosphere soon thereafter, well as cheerful as a place where decomposing remains were constantly examined could be.

But the real change in the relationship between the Jeffersonian Medico-Legal Lab team and its administrator came about when an old nemesis of Booth and Brennan reared his ugly head.

* * *

Howard Epps became a problem for them once again, this time escaping prison and killing off his ex-wife Caroline. During the autopsy and in need of more evidence to track him down Cam obeyed Booths frantic order and cut into Caroline Epps' severed head and sliced into a vial filled with an airborne poison that hospitalised Cam.

Booth felt extremely guilty about forcing Cam to do this and playing right into Epps hand. He struggled with the decision to visit her at the hospital seeing as he was the one who put her there, but after the case was closed and Epps was dead Brennan decided to take charge.

She called a family meeting in the Ookie room similar to Booth's call to arms months ago.

As the last person, Zack, came in and closed the door Brennan turned to her team, her family, and stared them down.

"The animosity against Dr Saroyan stops now," she said leaving no room for argument. "I do not know if our treatment of her and her need to prove herself to us added to her decision to disregard proper protocol but it may have been a factor in her hospitalisation. Over the course of the last few months Dr Saroyan has dedicated herself to providing her exemplary experience and expertise to this team and its investigations. She has handled both her duties as Administrator and Pathologist with remarkable dedication despite the continued negativity that we all have levied towards her.

"I understand that it was not completely unwarranted but it has gone on long enough. I know for a while now that we have been more than cordial towards her but she is now in the ICU because of her dedication to this team. We owe it to Cam to bury the axe -"

"Hatchet," grinned a proud Booth but quietened down as she glared at him

"... And let the newest member of our family know that we are here for her. Do I make myself clear?"

A volley of affirmations reached her as the squints looked down contrite while Booth beamed his approval at his girlfriends actions and the display of the big heart she obviously possessed.

Booth himself had long forgiven Cam but since he wasn't the hurt party, well not by much, he had not extended an olive branch to his former friend until Brennan approved. Apparently he had completely missed the change of heart in his girlfriend despite how much time the two spent together. God she was amazing.

Brennan smiled at the affirmations and nodded her agreement.

"Good! Now visiting hours finish at seven thirty, I am told that a gift is appropriate as well as a 'get better' card," this time he didn't correct her. "I expect all of you to be there before the curfew. That is all. Dismissed."

The team shuffled off, appropriately chastened and determined to not disappoint their boss.

As the last squint exited, Booth pulled Brennan to him and placed a long, tender appreciative kiss on her lips, only pulling back for the need of oxygen.

Brennan had to wait a few seconds to get her bearings then beamed at his greeting.

"You. Are. Amazing." he uttered between soft kisses. "I love you and your forgiving heart so much."

Brennan smiled at his words. "I had already forgiven Dr Saroyan a while back Booth, but I felt that since my team was still angry at her I was obligated to follow their lead. But it's gone on long enough we can't be antagonists when chasing killers and dealing with people like Howard Epps."

At the mention of Epps, Booths smile dimmed a little, his falling body flashing before the FBI Agents eyes. Another kill. Epps making the big Five O. 50 kills to Seeley Booth.

Brennan sensed the tension and ran a hand through his unruly hair.

"Hey. You okay?"

Booth shook off his mauldin thoughts and nodded, pulling out a genuine enough smile and nodding.

"Yeah. I'm alright. Listen Bones, if we're picking up a gift for Cam then we need to leave soon."

Brennan nodded. "You're right, just let me check her office. With Dr Saroyan in the hospital her duties fall temporarily to me. You don't know how much she does around here Booth, she really is underappreciated, I really wish we didn't have such a rocky start, Dr Saroyans dedication and work ethic is exemplary."

Booth kissed the side of her head, nodding. "Cam was always a hard worker, won so many awards in school, youngest pathologist to graduate NYU, she has been consulting for the FBI long before we went to the Jeffersonian. In fact if it wasn't for her we wouldn't have even met."

Brennan glanced back at Booth as they both exited the Ookie room.

"How do you figure that?"

"Well when we were working on the Gemma Arlington case, I called Cam to ask for help and she pointed me to you. She hadn't met you but she knew of your work. And the rest, as they say, is history."

"Who's they? And why haven't you told me this before?" she asked perplexed as they walked across the Lab floor.

Booth shrugged. "It never came up. If you remember, the topic of Cam has sort of been taboo anywhere we go, so..., yeah."

Brennan hummed in thought as they passed the platform.

"Look Bones," Booth piped up again. "You go check Cam's computer and I'll bring the car around," despite Brennan's refusal he knew the parking lot still unnerved her so he brought the car to the front doors more often than not.

Catching her hand at her reluctant nod he pulled Brennan to him and laid another gentle kiss on her soft, upturned lips and jogged out of the lab leaving Brennan to close up.

Brennan walked swiftly towards Dr Saroyans office, idly noting the still unpacked boxes that stood to the side, speaking clearly to the state of uncertainty that Cam regarded her position at the Jeffersonian with.

Shaking her computer out of sleep she quickly logged in the squints hours and the scanned the last of the case files. Sending copies to the FBI and the Jeffersonian archives she turned to finally check Cam's office emails and paused at one. Reading through it she pursed her lips and searched for the senders name in previous emails.

Finding four others she scanned each one and felt her ire rising more and more. Finally closing the last one she typed a short and precise missive and sent it to the board requesting a meeting with her and Dr Saroyan as soon as Cam was able to attend.

Closing down the windows and shutting off her computer, she was just about to walk out when she spied a half open drawer towards the bottom of her desk. Pulling it open she saw a half empty bottle of whiskey and, surprise surprise, a copy of her latest book **Cross Bones** bookmarked halfway through the story.

Contemplating her actions Brennan picked up the book and left the whiskey behind. Taking a sharpie from Cams desk she flipped to the front page of the book and thought about what she would write. Finally deciding she smiled to herself as she signed her loopy decorative signature that she practiced for book signings and wrote her dedication. Closing the book she clasped it in her hands and walked out the door shutting off the lights in Cam's sparsely decorated office.

* * *

Angela and Hodgins exited Cam's room with light smiles on their faces. The pathologist had just woken up and was slightly woozey from the chemicals they were flushing her system with.

Turns out Camile Saroyan was an avid conversationalist and had a lot to say to her colleagues about the nature transcontinental flights and joining the mile high club.

As Booth and Brennan entered the room, Cam's residual smile slipped off her face. Moving unconsciously to one side of her bed as to not make her feel crowed the partners approached their injured colleague.

"Dr Brennan? Booth?" the surprise in her voice was evident.

Booth smiled a little and said. "Camile."

Instantly the scowl was on her face. "Don't call me Camile, Seeley."

Smiling wider he replied. "Then don't call me Seeley."

Her eyes widening in wonder at the return of their byplay she let out a relieved smile at the fact that maybe her friendship with Booth could be salvaged.

Turning questioning eyes to his partner though, she wasn't sure what to say to her presence.

Percepting Brennan's need for privacy Booth offered to get Brennan coffee and left the two multiple doctorate holders to talk.

Moving closer to Cam, Brennan fidgeted. "I'm not good with apologies or emotional confrontations, as I mentioned before; Booth usually mediates, but as I endeavoured that day to emote, I will do so now..."

Cam wasn't sure she was really strong enough to receive another dressing down so tried to head it off.

"You don't have to say..."

"I would like to Dr Saroyan," she insisted wetting her lips. "Cam," she continued shocking the pathologist by using her preferred nickname. "We have been unfair in our treatment of you. You are a very dedicated and experienced individual who excels in her field of work and your help in these last few months has been highly valuable in the cases we have solved."

Cam's mouth dropped open as what Brennan was saying.

"Not only in your role as a pathologist but as an Administrator you are very capable. In lieu of your absence your duties have fallen to me and already I feel overburdened and it's only been forty eight hours! I wish our initial interactions had not been so contentious. I feel that we got off on the wrong leg... "

"Foot." Cam managed to get out a soft smile gracing her features at the Anthropologists social failings.

"Yes, foot. Sorry," said Brennan blushing. _Blushing! _We got off on the wrong foot." Stepping forward bravely she stuck her hand out. "I would like to start over. Please accept my apologies on behalf of my team and I in the negative treatment you have suffered these past few months, I am truly sorry Cam."

Eagerly accepting her hand and shaking it and ignoring the slight twinge as her IV needle pulled she smiled at the other woman.

"You and your teams actions weren't without cause, however in the interest of putting this all behind us, I do accept your apology Dr Brennan."

"Cam," Brennan said smiling gently. "When we are not at work I would appreciate it if you called me Temperance or Brennan of that's more preferred. I share your aversion the use of my full first name." The two Dr's smiled bonding slowly over irritatingly intricate names.

"Brennan then. I accept your apology, though it isn't needed. Thank you.''

"You're welcome, Cam." Brennan grinned excitedly. "When you are feeling better I would like to invite you to what Angela refers to as a 'girls night in' I think, she believes that it is a form of bonding experience for women of our age. A chance to let our hair down, a collaqalism that I do not understand since my hair, whether tied or loose still, always falls down to my shoulders." She scrunched up her nose in confusion as Cam laughed.

"A girls night out, I believe is what you mean Brennan and yes I accept. Also letting your hair down means having some fun outside of work."

Brennan nodded laughing with her new friend. "I believe that actually makes sense, thanks Cam."

At that point Booth peeked in carrying two cups of coffee. "Since you two are laughing I assume things are good?"

"Yes Seeley." Cam said smiling at her friend. "Were good."

"Don't call me Seeley, Camile. Bones, Cams sister is here to see her," he said not allowing Cam to get her retort in.

Brennan nodded and quickly handed her something in a paper bag.

"I found this in your office, thought you might want to finish it. It can get very boring sitting in a hospital bed all day."

"You got that right," muttered Booth as Cam pulled out her copy of **Cross Bones** from the bag. Now it was her turn to blush.

"I left a message for you in the front page." she said even as Booth started dragging her away. "I hope you enjoy the book Cam, and I'll see you back at work soon."

Cam nodded at Brennan seeing the woman in a completely different light. Opening the front cover she spied the loopy signature of Dr Temperance Brennan but what got to her was the dedication.

Underneath her elaborate signature she had written.

**_Cam. Your dedication to your job is a credit to our team. Welcome to the family._**

**_Yours truly,_**

**_Dr Temperance Brennan._**

Two light tears fell from her eyes as for the first time in months Cam Saroyan let loose a sigh of relief.

* * *

Two weeks later a slightly hungover pair in Cam and Brennan stood in front of the Board of Directors for the Jeffersonian. Brennan had her arms crossed and a stern expression on her face.

Cam had been confused by the summons she had received but Brennan's light smile as they met outside the conference room relieved some of her worry.

Now she was waiting for Brennan to speak since it was obvious that _she_ had requested this meeting. Before she could get a word in though one of the Directors spoke up

"Yes, Dr Brennan," he asked eagerly. "What has Dr Saroyan done now? Do you wish to reconsider keeping her? I assure you if you do then she would not be able to ever work in the field of science ever again!"

The thunderous expression on Brennan's face would have sent her grad students running, but this idiot was oblivious to the impending explosion.

There was a crack of plastic on wood as Brennan slapped a file on the desk.

"Am I to assume that you, Mr Kendall are responsible for these inflammatory emails that have been sent to my pathologist multiple times?"

She passed copies of the emails and it's contents to the board.

The man stuttered but then regained his composure. "Well of course. She needed to be reminded of who she was dealing with when she fired you! A nothing pathologist..."

"Dr Camile Saroyan is one of the most celebrated pathologist in her field, she is also a very capable administrator and a very valuble member of my team, Mr Kendall!" He shut his mouth all of a sudden lost for words.

"This is evidence of harassment and could even be construed as threatening and demeaning. When we settled the matter of my hiring I didn't require any of you to reinforce members of my team with the idea that should they make a mistake, they would be at risk of losing their jobs! An I also never asked for you to demean her in a public forum. Dr Saroyan is an exemplary Scientist and Administrator whose value to our team is as indispensable as mine!

"Please remember that I am employed by the Jeffersonian by my grace and my grace alone. If I discover anymore threats towards any member of my team I will be taking legal action and I will also be removing myself from the employ of the Jeffersonian."

With that Brennan about faced and stalked out of the conference room with a slightly shell shocked Cam following in her wake.

"Dr Brennan!" Cam called as Brennan reached the elevators before her.

When Brennan turned, all traces of her anger was gone and she looked questioningly at the pathologist.

"Thank you for defending me, Dr Brennan." she offered gratefully. "It wasn't necessary but thank you all the same."

"I disagree with the notion that it wasn't necessary, anyone who threatens a member of my team, no matter how cordially we interact, would receive the same reprimand. If you had shown me the first email on the day you received it, I still would have been up in their faces about it."

Cam looked back at the conference room then back at Brennan.

"The last time I was here, you told me that we could never be friends and that you might forgive me but you would never forget."

Brennan smiled softly at the other woman. "The reason that I would never forget, Cam, is that I have an eidetic memory," she said cheekily. "Aside from a day that I spent in New Orleans last year there isn't much that I don't remember. As for not being friends well that just goes to show that all of us sometimes have to lick our words."

Cam laughed at her friend. "I think you mean _eat _our word Dr Brennan."

Brennan scrunched her nose as she registered the correction. "I think that was indeed what Booth was saying. Though I still don't know how one goes about eating something that isn't physically there..."

Cam laughed again at her very literal colleague and new friend herding her gently into the elevator even as her commentary continued.

They might have gotten a rocky start but Cam was sure that her job as Administrator and Pathologist would never be boring as long as she was colleagues and friends with Dr Temperance Brennan!

* * *

**_There you go! Done. I'll beg for reviews if I have to. Don't make me, please. Please? Hehe. Bye! _**


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